Finding Myself, Finding Love
by Rinoa-san
Summary: She heard the screams of jealousy. However, she didn't care at that moment. All she cared about was that she was rooming with another guy. How will Rena survive her one year as a representative for her school after she discovers that a new boy in her room
1. The Beginning of a New Year

**A/N:**

** Hey all! It's Rinoa-san! No I have not dropped off the face of the Earth….I've just had lots of stuff going on. For example, my second year of college starts this fall. (Yikes!). Anyway, I haven't quite decided if I will get back to my Ayashi no Ceres story (Another Descendant's story) or not yet. I am no longer talking to the person I was originally writing it for…so yes, that is up in the air. I do, however, plan on continuing Crossing Worlds. I just have to get back to it and maybe do some revising. ^_^**

** This is one of many new stories I have had come to me. I would like some more feedback to see if I'll continue it. I have lots planned and have an excerpt/preview up on my quizilla page. I decided to start by posting this one since it is the only one that was voted on by one person on my poll (also found on my quizilla account). Please enjoy and tell me what you think. My quizilla account can be found on my profile. Enjoy!**

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_Chapter One: The beginning of a New Year:_

A sigh escaped her lips. Another year of school was starting. Most students would either be excited or disappointed. Some may even feel nervous. More than anything, she was worried. How was she ever going to fit in? Was it even possible? And why did she ever agree to be part of this program?

"Rena!"

That was why. She turned and smiled at the boy running towards her. His dark brown hair lay in a messy pile on his head. His deep blue eyes held happiness and excitement as they met hers. He didn't hesitate a moment when he reached her. Grabbing her waist, he lifted her off the ground and spun, causing her to let out a small squeak before laughing. When he put her back down, he immediately pulled her into a hug. She smiled and returned the gesture.

"You're finally here," he whispered before pulling back.

His smile stretched across his face as he grabbed the large suitcase beside her.

"Come on. Let's get you settled in,"

She laughed brightly.

"Calm down, Ryoma-kun. I just go here. Can't you take it easy for a minute?"

"But I want to get you settled in. I can't help being excited! We finally get to go to school together. How can you _not_ be jumping up and down with excitement right now? I know you want to,"

"Ever think it has anything to do with being at an all-boys school?"

"There's nothing to worry about. Besides, if anyone tries anything, we'll hunt them down and make them pay mercilessly until they slither into a hole and die like the snakes they are,"

The doom and gloom he predicted became even scarier with the bright smile on his face. What's worse, she knew he was serious. If something were to ever happen, Ryoma and her other brothers would take care of her and destroy whatever fool it was that hurt her. She couldn't help but sigh. It was because of her brothers she had agreed to the project. She, along with four other girls, was chosen to attend an all-boy's school that neighbored their all-girls school for a year. It was a test to see if the schools could eventually combine within the next few years. Natsumi High had picked five of its best students and offered them the chance to go to the all boys' school, Konoha, and represent their school. She had been a bit skeptical at the beginning. The idea of attending an all boy school didn't appeal at all. Had it been any other school, she would have declined. Instead, it was a school she couldn't refuse. He brothers all attended Konoha. She knew if anywhere, she would be safe there. After a long battle, she convinced the boys' headmaster to let her room with one of her brothers. She didn't have a preference on which one, but she was dead set against rooming with a stranger. The other girls had their rooms set. One of them would have to room with a boy regardless and she just so happened to get picked. Lucky her (**A/N: dripping with sarcasm**)

It wasn't all bad though. She was rooming with Ryoma for the year. For that part she did want to jump up and down with excitement. Although she didn't really have a favorite brother, Ryoma had extra points. It was in no way intentional. They were twins so they were just naturally closer. She also wasn't alone. She still had the opportunity to have girl time. Her best friends Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, and Ino were all asked to attend as well. They were five of the best at Natsumi. They weren't super geniuses, but they were the best possible representation.

"I know," she replied "But don't forget I can take care of myself,"

"Aw Rena-chan I know you can. I just miss spending time with you and you know how worried we get. We only want to protect you,"

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they moved toward their dorm. It didn't take them long to get her in, unpacked, and settled into their new dorm. Most of the heavy duty stuff (fridge, couches, TV, etc.) had been moved in when Ryoma had arrived about a week prior. She unpacked her clothes into the dresser she shared with Ryoma and the closet. She set up her desk, made the bottom bunk, and put everything in its place. She sighed as she sat on the bed. Everything was set up and clean…at least for now.

"All settled?" Ryoma asked, leaning in the doorway.

She smiled over at him.

"As settled as I'm going to get. There's no way for me to be completely settled in a brand new school on my first day,"

He sat next to her and she automatically leaned against him. His arm wrapped around her and his head rested on hers. For a while they just sat there in silence.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered. "I'm right here. You don't have to struggle alone."

"I know. It's just…"

"It's okay,"

She smiled slightly. That was one of the things she loved about him. They didn't need words for everything. They just understood each other. No one else really understood their connection, their mutual understanding. Yet no one ever got in between them. They respected the twins close bond and understood enough to know that it was something needed. She inhaled deeply and sighed before standing up. She smiled back at him than headed for the bathroom. No sooner had she shut the door when someone knocked on the main door.

"Ryoma-kun, can you get the door please?" She called.

"Sure thing!"

She heard the door open and another male voice joined her brother's.

"Hey what's up?" Ryoma said surprised to see the boy in front of him.

"So you're my roommate this year," he replied.

Ryoma then saw the boy's luggage at his feet, key in hand.

"R-roommate?"

"Is there a problem?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's just that…"

"Ryoma-kun who is it?"

The boy at the door raised an eyebrow.

"It's kind of hard to explain," Ryoma replied.

"Ryoma, who was chosen as one of the top in her class?"

"You,"

"Who just transferred to an all-boys' school for you?"

"You did,"

"Who spent hours in a heated debate with the headmaster so we could room together?"

"You,"

"Who tends to get the better grades?"

"You,"

"Then what is it that I wouldn't under…" she opened the door and followed his gaze "stand,"

A few moments of silence ticked by.

"Ryoma, why didn't you just say we had a guest?"

"That's the confusing part," he answered.

"What's confusing about it?"

"I'm your roommate," replied the boy, a little annoyed.

She just looked at him, a fake smile plastered to her face.

"I-I'm sorry. I must have misheard you,"

"I'm your roommate and if you don't mind I'd like to get out of the hallway,"

He grabbed his bags and moved past Ryoma into the room. He was their age (about 14) with black hair and onyx eyes. He was a bit taller than her, about her brother's height. She could almost hear the screams of jealousy. However, she didn't care at that moment. All she cared about was that she was rooming with another guy.

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**And there you have it! My second Naruto fanfiction. I have several others...I just have to go back and write beginnings for them haha. There is a preview for this one as well as other previews/excerpts on my quizilla account. Again, there is a link for it on my profile. Please, take the poll so I know what stories I should continue. Reviews are nice, but not required. I do watch to see how many hits the story gets, but that isn't always enough to make me keep it up. So at least...say two reviews? That's what my other story has so, I'd like to get at least two here for me to continue. Thanks! **

**I, sadly, do not own the rights for any of the Naruto stuff. I do own Rena and Ryoma. Please do not try and steal my characters...or there will be many nasty emails. Thanks! ^_^**

**Have a great day!  
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**-Rino-san**


	2. Introducing the Girls

**A/N:**

**Well, I decided that this story deserved to be updated even though it did not meet my requirement of two reviews and currently has the second lowest hits out of all my new stories. Still, I noticed this is the only new one that has not been updated and decided to go ahead and put up chapter two. I do not own any of the songs that are in this chapter. Please review. There is a preview up on my quizilla page. The link (along with a link to a poll) may be found on my profile page. **

**Now, on with the chapter!**

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_Chapter Two: Introducing the Girls_

Rena stared as the boy moved past her and toward the empty bedroom. She could almost hear the screams of jealousy from her four friends, but she didn't care. The only thing running though her mind was she was rooming with a strange boy. She almost screamed, but forced it back.

"I'm sorry," she said following the boy. "There must be some sort of mistake,"

"This is room 404 isn't it?" He asked.

"Yes it is,"

"This is the Ignis dorm isn't it?"

"Yes,"

"Then there is no mistake,"

"There must be. I've talked with the head master personally. I was told I'd be rooming with my brother,"

"These rooms are designed to have up to four people. I was _assigned_ this room. You're just going to have to deal with it, princess,"

She could feel her anger boiling. She wanted to give the boy a piece of her mind and it was _not_ going to be pretty.

"My name is _not_ princess," she snapped.

"My apologies. I figured it was appropriate since you were acting like a royal brat,"

"Listen here, mister, I refuse to sit here and…"

"Sasuke, Rena, that's enough," Ryoma interrupted. "Now obviously we're rooming together. Nothing can be done about that for a few weeks as a minimum. Until then, we have to learn to get along. Can't we reach some sort of compromise here?"

"Hn," Sasuke replied turning away. "I'll be setting up my room. Just make sure your girlfriend stays out,"

He slammed the door shut behind him.

"I'm his sister!" Rena screamed at the closed door.

There was no response only making her fume even more.

"Who does that guy think he is?" She demanded turning to her brother.

"Rena, calm down. Take a deep breath and…"

"Calm down? The entire reason I spent hours debating with the headmaster was to _avoid_ this type of situation! I want answers and I mean now!"

Ryoma sighed. It was going to be a long semester if this kept up. He grabbed her hand and led her back to their room. There he sat down next to her on the bed.

"Alright just relax. His name is Sasuke Uchiha. We're acquaintances. We know each other, but we aren't exactly close. I've heard he's pretty well off money wise, but never really seen anything to prove that. He's our age and tends to stick to himself. He has a handful of friends, knows self defense, and he's pretty smart too. We don't have a choice about rooming with him now. We'll just have to deal with it. The headmaster won't even hear about roommate problems until next month. He thinks that all we need is some time to sort things out on our own or at least give it our best shot. So like it or not, we're stuck with the current room situation for a while. My advice? Don't worry about it. Focus on the welcoming ceremony alright?"

She sighed, slowly calming down. She knew it was pointless to let her temper get the better of her so early on and she knew her brother was right. She didn't have to time to waste trying to figure out what went wrong with the roommate situation. Instead she needed to focus on the performance she was expected to put together with the upmost perfection by the following evening. Luckily, she and her friends had spent the past several months rehearsing over and over again until they could perform their routine in their sleep. She nodded to her brother.

"Alright. I won't worry about it…for now. There are much more important things to worry about. I still needed to do my pre-show routine so that I'll be prepared tomorrow. Then I'll call the girls to see if we can do a quick run through before we perform and double check our lineup. Plus I need to meet with the sound and light people that are going to be working in the auditorium and…" she replied.

"See? You have your plate full. Don't worry about the tiny problem here. I'll take care of that. I'll clue Sasuke in on a few key rules. After tomorrow, we can sit down and set up some room rules to hopefully cut down on the fighting. For now, you just focus on your performance. I know you'll do fine," he smiled.

She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks Ryoma-kun. I'll do my best,"

"That's my girl,"

Rena got up and began gathering things she would need for her pre-show ritual. She got out a large bowl she had packed and filled it with water for her manicure and pedicure. She also selected clear nail polish to paint them with afterwards as well as her nail buffer, nail file, and nail clippers. From there, she pulled out her flat iron, a few hair ties, and a butterfly clip so that she could straighten her hair. She also made sure she had her mask, face wash, toner, face lotion, and (just in case) acne cream prepared for her facial. It was everything a girl needed to relax. She chose a vanilla scented lotion to top it all off.

Once everything was set, she applied her mask then, after about five minutes when it was dry, went into the bathroom and took a shower. She hummed softly as she washed up and shaved. She wrapped the towel around her body and put her hair up in another one when she was done. She brushed her teeth and used her toner followed by her face lotion. She did a quick check and put a little bit of her acne cream on some trouble spots. She smiled at her reflection and pulled her robe on over her towel.

"Isn't she done yet?" Sasuke demanded glancing toward the bathroom door from the couch.

"Relax. She'll be done soon," Ryoma replied.

"She's been in there for over an hour! How long could it possibly take to use the shower? It's been off for a while now,"

"Sasuke, she's a girl for starters. Second of all, she has a big day ahead of her tomorrow. She's starting a new year at a new school filled with boys. She's also expected to participate in the big back to school assembly tomorrow evening. This is part of her calming ritual. All in all, it's best to leave her alone and let her go about her business in peace. Trust me, it leaves us in one piece if we just let her be,"

"Hn. I still can't believe there's a _girl_ in this room _and_ attending our school,"

"It's an exchange program and she's not the only one. All the girls will be introduced tomorrow,"

"I don't see the point. Why should we even consider merging? We're better off staying the way we were. Combining would just be a hassle,"

"Give them a chance. I'm sure once you get to know them, the idea won't seem like such a hassle,"

"Hn,"

The bathroom door opened and Rena stepped out, housecoat wrapped tightly around her with her clothes in a small bundle in her arms. Her hair was hidden beneath a towel on her head. Still, some water dripped down the back of her neck. She looked at the boys and gave Ryoma a small smile.

"Bathroom's free," she announced before turning into her room and shutting the door.

"I told you she would be done soon," Ryoma said turning back to his book.

The Uchiha boy said nothing in response. Instead, he stood and went into the bathroom. In her room, Rena finished drying off and began her mani/pedi before putting on her lotion. Once her hands and feet were ready for the last step (painting the nails), she dried her hair and straightened it. While she was painting her nails, she began singing softly to help pass the time.

"I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow, and each road leads where you want to go, and if you're faced with a choice and you have to chose I hope you chose the one that means the most to you. And if one door opens to another door closed I hope you keep on walkin till you find the window. If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile," she sang softly. "But more than anything, more than anything, my wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to, your dreams stay big and your worries stay small. You never need to carry more than you can hold and while you're out there getting where your getting to I hope you know somebody loves you and wants the same things too. Yeah this is my wish,"

Ryoma smiled as he listened to his sister sing. It was soft, but undeniable. He loved listening to her sing. She was really talented. Sadly, she would probably never pursue it. She wanted to be more practical which is why her grades hardly ever faltered from an A average. He sighed and glanced over at his other roommate. Sasuke obviously heard her and she had captured him for just a moment. Ryoma wasn't worried though. He knew his sister all too well. The Uchiha boy wouldn't ever be more than a friend if was even allowed that close after the fight they had endured that afternoon.

"_Oh well. It's not important right now. What is important is making sure tomorrow's welcome to school assembly goes well,_" Ryoma thought.

When Rena finally opened the door again, she was in her pajamas and had her hair tied back in a braided ponytail. They stayed awake a little while longer before turning in for the night. The next morning, she got up around seven and sent off text messages to her four friends asking about a quick rehearsal. From there she got dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a navy blue shirt that had yellows words written on it saying: "Tell me again, why is it I need a boyfriend?" She pulled her hair into a bun sitting on her neck. She slipped on her shoes and read the confirmation text from her friends. She left a note for her brother saying that she was off to practice and would see him later before leaving.

The girls met up at the school gym and practiced for hours. They took a few breaks in order to eat, rest, rehydrate, and set up the line up for that night. They agreed to meet up at the stage half an hour prior to performance time as usual. Rena walked around campus, her nose stuck in her book, double checking everything she needed for that night. She didn't even look up until she ran into someone.

"Oh I'm sorry! It's my fault," she said before looking up.

"You're right, it was your fault," the boy with black hair replied.

She glared in response at her so called roommate.

"No need to be rude. I did apologize after all,"

"Next time, why don't you watch where you're going?" He said before he continued walking.

"Jerk," she muttered under her breath before continuing on her way.

She didn't have time to deal with him. She had more important things that were occupying her mind. At long last, it was time for the school assembly. Ryoma took his seat next his roommate and some friends. All together, there was Ryoma, his brothers Chris, Nuriko, and Kai, and his friends Lee, Kiba, Neji, Shino, and Sasuke. They chatted about random things, not really paying much attention to what was going on. Finally the lights dimmed and a few appeared on the stage.

"Gentlemen," the headmaster called stepping on stage. "We are in for a great treat today. Joining us from the esteemed Natsumi High School for girls are five beautiful and talented young ladies. These young ladies will be attending our school for the year, so please be on your best behavior and make them feel at home. Now, I'll let them introduce themselves. Please welcome, Natsumi High!"

Most the boys applauded more out of politeness than anything else. What was so great about a handful girls? There was too much competition. Still, it was possible they could at least provide some sort of entertainment. The lights dimmed once more as the headmaster stepped off.

"Five. Tenten, be prepared," a girl with brown hair styled in twin buns called as the light shinned on her.

She gave a half turn toward the audience, one hand holding up the number five. The light switched to another girl who did the same half turn and held up a number four.

"Four. Hinata Hyuuga, sit back and relax," the girl with shoulder length dark blue hair.

"Three. Ino Yamanaka, get ready," a girl with blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail called giving the same half turn toward the audience and holding up a number three.

"Two. Sakura Haruno, you're about to be blown away,"

She turned toward the audience when the light came on her holding a number two. Her pink hair rested just below her shoulders and was pushed back with a headband. Finally, the light landed on center stage where the finally girl stood. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a butterfly clip completely off her neck. She smirked and held up a one as she gave the audience a half turn.

"One. Rena Kanari, let the show begin,"

They all turned to face the audience, an individual spotlight on each of them. Rena was dressed in a periwinkle blue tank top with a matching long sleeve, t-shirt like cover and black leggings for her pants. Her shoes were black jazz shoes. Sakura wore a bubble gum pink midriff t-shirt with the same pants and shoes as Rena. Ino wore a dark purple, sleeveless halter top with a black t-shirt like cover that stopped just before her midriff. She too had the black leggings and jazz shoes. Hinata wore a lavender v-neck t-shirt that clung enough to her to show off her figure, but not enough to show off everything. Again, she had the same leggings and jazz shoes. Finally, Tenten wore a white spaghetti strap tank-top with light pink trimming on top of her black leggings and jazz shoes. Each girl smiled before the music began. The other girls scattered to the side while Rena sauntered forward as she sang.

"Remember the feelings, remember the day my stone heart was breaking my love ran away,"

The girls on the side turned toward the center and made very slow, precise movements, showing the words of the song through motion.

"This moment I knew I would be someone else my love turned around and I fell,"

Rena turned her back to the audience and feigned falling then turned it into a back flip. The girls did several flips to reach their order in line before the chorus began.

"Be my bad boy, be my man. Be my weekend lover, but don't be my friend. You can be my bad boy, but understand that I don't need you in my life again. Won't you be my bad boy, be my man. Be my weekend lover, but don't be my friend. You can be my bad boy but understand than I don't need you again, no I don't need you again,"

They moved perfectly with the music, their movements telling the story almost as if inviting the boys in the audience to be, as the song suggested, their "bad boy". Immediately, the guys were on the edge of their seat, really enjoying and getting into the show. During the interlude, Rena turned her back to the audience and slowly began making her way toward the back of the stage once more, but as she walked the other girls did interchanging flips across the stage. If one had mis-stepped, someone would be hurt.

"You once made this promise to stay by my side," Rena sang when the music cued her.

The girls had partnered up, Tenten with Hinata and Ino with Sakura leaving Rena alone with an imaginary partner. She wrapped her arms around herself as someone was hugging her.

"But after sometime you just pushed me aside,"

The girls all stepped away from their partner with a slide, turning their heads in rejection. Rena pushed her arms away from her as if to signal being pushed away. Then she pointed toward the audience.

"You never thought that a girl could be strong. Now I'll show you how to go on,"

She ended the last note with a spin. She dropped to the ground and slowly stood as they began the chorus.

"Be my bad boy, be my man. Be my weekend lover, but don't be my friend. You can be my bad boy, but understand that I don't need you in my life again. Won't you be my bad boy, be my man. Be my weekend lover, but don't be my friend. You can be my bad boy but understand than I don't need you again, no I don't need you again,"

They finished the dance much like they had done the interlude, showing off their incredible skills as gymnasts and timing. They ended with Rena in the center, face down, in a crouch as she had landed from her last flip. The other girls crowded around. Ino and Tenten were looking off toward the sides of the stage, their back to the group while Sakura and Hinata stood on their knees back to back just behind Rena, a perfect pose. The audience erupted in applause. After a moment the girls stood up and bowed.

"Thank you very much for all your support. As representatives of Natsumi High, we are greatly honored to be here," Rena began.

"As you can see, we are not only the top five at our school chosen for this privilege, but we are also performers known as the Natsumi Kunoichi," Ino continued, her arrogant smirk in place.

She had always been very proud of her friend's talent and never hesitated to boast about it whenever the opportunity came up.

"As our way of thanking you, we were given permission to give you boys a special, private performance," Tenten added.

"We hope you enjoy the performance," Sakura smiled.

"And we hope to make this school year a memorable one," Hinata finished.

"So, please," Rena began.

She crossed one leg behind the other, and held her arms out to the side as if for balance or holding a skirt for a curtsy. The other girls followed, each smiling before looking at the boys.

"Enjoy the show and welcome to a wonderful school year."

The stood up as the next song began, Cinderella by Play. Again, they ended with an eruption of applause. They also performed Naturally by Selena Gomez and You found me by Kelly Clarkson.

"Now, while my girls get changed for the next song, I'd like to take some time to explain this next song. It's not often that we perform a song with a specific message we want our audience to understand or walk away with. This song, however, has a very powerful message that I want to have passed on. Rather than our usual dance routine, we actually will be acting out the story. For this particular song, we will need some help. The two gentlemen who will be joining us we have had the privilege of working with for many years and I have been blessed enough to call them my brothers. They are truly talented boys and very polite and patient enough to deal with me when it gets to crunch time. Please welcome to the stage Ryoma and Nuriko Kanari,"

There was a small round of applause as the two boys made their way to the stage. They each gave her a hug before disappearing behind the curtain.

"The song we are about to perform really shouldn't need an introduction, but I feel it is my duty to do so anyway. There are times when it seems that the world is crashing down around us. For a lot of people it is when they suffer a terrible breakup. For some girls, they feel it is the end of the world if he didn't love her and don't understand what went wrong. Some guys try to find what was so wrong with themselves that they couldn't keep her around. This particular song takes that situation and puts in through the worst case scenario. Each of us pray that none of you have to experience this situation or have someone close to you experience this. We ask, though, that if you see this happening or feel like this, to get help. Just like Natsumi, Konoha has staff and faculty members that are always ready to help. Never go to alcohol as an escape, as a way to make it through. Alcohol impairs our judgment. We don't always see as clearly as we should when under the influence as you will see in our performance.

Today, Ryoma and I will be narrating the story. Our very own Ino Yamanaka will be playing the lead female role while Nuriko will be playing our lead male. Our angels are Sakura Haruno, Tenten, and Hinata Hyuuga. Please enjoy, Whiskey Lullaby,"

The curtains opened to reveal the scene of a boy and girl in mid argument with a door in behind the girl. Ryoma came and took his place beside his sister handing her a guitar similar to his. She took a deep breath and nodded. Together, they began playing. The couple argued during the intro and finally, Ino walked past the door and slammed it shut.

"She put him out, like the burning end of a midnight cigarette. She broke his heart. He spent his life trying to forget," Ryoma sang in a tenor voice.

Nuriko, a boy with light brown slightly wavy hair, shook his head and walked away to the other part of the stage that was similar to a bar where he took his seat and began downing a few shots that Hinata placed in front of him.

"We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time, but he never could get drunk enough to her off his mind until the night…"

Nuriko pushed away from the bar, stumbling as if drunk. He had a piece of paper in one hand and in the other, a toy guy.

"He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger. He finally drank away her memory. Life is short but this time it was bigger than the strength he had to get up off his knees," Ryoma and Rena sang in harmony.

There were a few shocked gasps as Nuriko faked killing himself with a bullet to the head and fell to the ground, not moving.

"We found him with his face down in the pillow, with a note that said 'I'll love her till I die.' And when we buried him beneath the willow, the angels sang a whiskey lullaby,"

Tenten, Sakura, and Hinata gently pulled Nuriko's body over toward a tree they had set up to represent the willow tree. There, they laid a black sheer fabric over him. Sakura and Tenten were dressed in black while Hinata wore white and each had a black veil to show mourning.

"La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la," Ryoma and Rena sang in unison with the three other girls.

"The rumors flew, but nobody knew how much she blamed herself," Rena sang, taking over.

Ino who had wandered the stage while the "angels" were singing, had found her way to the bar area where Hinata had taken her station again.

"For years and years, she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath,"

Sakura tried talking to Ino, but was repeatedly blown off.

"She finally drank her pain away a little at a time, but she never could get drunk enough to him off her mind until the night…"

Ino pushed Sakura away and went back through her door. She had the toy gun in one hand and a framed picture in the other. At this point, most of the audience knew what was going to happen. Some even turned away.

"She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger. She finally drank away his memory. Life is short but this time it was bigger than the strength she had to get up off her knees,"

A few people still gasped when they saw her hit the ground and stopped moving. Tenten, Sakura, and Hinata entered the scene.

"We found her with her face down in the pillow, clinging to his picture for dear life,"

They dragged her over and placed her next to Nuriko and covered her as well.

"We laid her next to him beneath the willow while the angels sang a whiskey lullaby,"

"La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la," they all finally ended in harmony.

Everyone erupted in applause. Their performance had been phenomenal. Rena smiled, pleased with their reaction. She only hoped that she had reached that many people. They continued with a few more songs including Walk Away by Kelly Clarkson, Who do you think you are? By Cascada, Fighter by Christina Aguilera, Everybody's Fool by Evanescence, and The Very Last Moment in Time by Lindsey Lohan. Finally, the show was finished. The girls were tired, but didn't show it. Instead, they kept smiling and bowed as they received a standing ovation.

"Thank you so much for coming out today and supporting us. We hope to make this year the best ever and hope you all enjoyed the show," Rena said before leading the curtsy as she did at the beginning of the show.

"Have a good night and thank you again," the girls said in unison as the curtsied and smiled at the audience again.

Finally, everyone began to file out. Once it was safe, Rena flopped down on the ground. Her ankle couldn't take anymore. While she had been dancing for Everybody's Fool, she landed poorly after a spin, but she had managed to pull it off by changing it to a flip so no one would know she was hurt. Now she was suffering for continuing. The pain ran up her leg, throbbing. Ryoma came up on the stage waving to the girls.

"Hey! You guys did a great job," he congratulated.

"Thanks, Ryoma-kun," Ino giggled.

"Yeah, now I'm bushed!" Sakura sighted sitting next to Rena.

"Me too," agreed Tenten.

"I-I think we deserve a good rest," Hinata said softly, smiling.

"Sounds good. How about this: tonight, we go home and rest up then tomorrow after classes we all go out for ice cream or something to celebrate?"

"Yay!" Sakura and Tenten cried throwing their hands up.

"Sounds good, Ryoma," Rena smiled.

"You okay, Ren?" He asked.

"Um…yeah. My ankle just hurts a little, but I'm fine,"

"Are you sure? It looked pretty painful when you landed," Hinata said, concern coating her tone.

"I'll be fine guys, really,"

"I'm still going to have you go straight to bed when we get home," her brother said kneeling down and looking at her ankle. "We'll also wrap it and maybe put some ice on it. It looks like you may have sprained it. You've got to be more careful Ren!"

"I know. I will be. I promise,"

He sighed and scooped her up in his arms, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back (bridal style). She groaned slightly. She didn't like being babied, but knew she didn't have a choice. It was bad enough she kept dancing after her injury. Walking would risk it turning into something serious. She put her arms around her brother's neck for support and waved to her friends as he carried her to back to their dorm. She yawned, completely exhausted. She rested her head on her brother's chest and inhaled deeply. He was so warm and comfortable. His heart was beating in time with a slow metronome, perfect for a lullaby.

"Sh. Go ahead and sleep," he whispered. "You deserve it. You worked hard and deserve a good long rest. I'll take care of you. I promise,"

She smiled and let her eyes fall shut.

"Thanks, Ryoma-kun,"

She yawned again and cuddled up against his chest. He chuckled and kissed her forehead. It wasn't a long walk from the auditorium to their dorm. He never minded carrying his sister. He liked taking care of her. It was almost like his duty to care for her. When he reached the dorm he groaned. Even with the door shut, he could hear the distinct loud voice of the most hyperactive kid in the entire school, Naruto Uzumaki. He silently prayed the boy wouldn't wake up his sister. If he did, they were all in trouble. She stirred slightly in his arms.

"_Here goes nothing_," Ryoma thought before opening the door.

Naruto was sitting across from Sasuke in the main room practically shouting about how amazing the performance had been. The Uchiha boy didn't seem at all pleased with his best friend. Instead, he looked rather bored with annoyance slowly creeping into his face.

"_Just perfect_," Ryoma thought.

Naruto looked up when the door opened.

"No way!" He shouted. "Teme, you're rooming with one of the girls? You are so lucky!"

"Naruto, could you please keep it down?" Ryoma asked softly. "She's really tired and needs sleep. I'd rather not have her woken up,"

"You mean she's asleep already? Man! You guys are so lucky! Which one of you gets to share the bedroom with her?" Naruto shouted.

Rena stirred.

"Ryoma-kun, make it stop," she whimpered half asleep.

"Hn. She's a spoiled princess," Sasuke said as Ryoma hushed her back to sleep.

"Sasuke, I would prefer if you could not say such things about my sister," the brown haired boy said sternly before laying his sister down on her bed.

"Woah! You're her brother?" Naruto shouted.

Ryoma groaned softly as he wrapped her ankle and tucked her into bed. He came out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

"Yes, I'm her brother. Twin to be exact. She is not a spoiled princess. She's just tired. That performance took a lot of work and all you saw was the end product. That's to say nothing for the hours of practice she had to put in just to get it to performance level. She's used a lot of energy. Please, do us all a favor, and keep it down so she can sleep. She's not exactly pleasant when she's been woken up after thoroughly exhausting herself like that,"

"Oh, okay," Naruto said lowering his voice.

"Hn," Sasuke replied turning away.

"Oi teme! Can't you show _any_ respect? She just put on an amazing show and all you can do is call her a spoiled brat and go 'hn'? What the hell?" The blonde boy shouted.

"_So much for quiet_," the Kanari boy thought then said. "Naruto, please, lower your voice,"

"I can't believe you Sasuke! Do you know how many guys would _kill_ to be in your position? And you don't even care!" Uzumaki continued shouting.

"Naruto…"

"Ryoma-kun?"

He turned toward the bedroom door and saw Rena standing there, all of her weight was on her uninjured foot. She was rubbing one eye much like a toddler would after waking up from a nap.

"Rena, it's okay. Go back to bed," Ryoma said softly, trying to coax her.

"Who's making so much noise?" She whimpered.

"Hey!" Naruto said running toward the girl. "You were great! I mean your dancing was something else!"

"W-who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" He shouted proudly. "What's your name…"

She took a step toward him and stopped on his foot before she used the heel of her hand to hit his chin upward. She finished off giving him a swift kick to the stomach. He stumbled backward and fell onto the couch, the air completely knocked out of him.

"If you don't mind, some of us are _trying_ to sleep. So would you kindly shut the hell up?" She snapped glaring at the boy.

"S-sure thing," Uzumaki panted slightly terrified.

She nodded and stood for a moment longer before almost collapsing, groaning in pain.

"Ren!" Ryoma cried catching her.

"It hurts," she whimpered. "It really, really hurts,"

"Sh. Alright come on. Let's get you back into bed. You need to stay off that ankle for a while. Don't worry. We'll keep the noise down so you can rest,"

She nodded and let him pick her up again. Once she was settled in bed again, he came back out to the main room. Naruto had finally sat up and was rubbing his slightly bruised jaw. Ryoma sighed.

"Now, if you don't mind, please keep the noise level down. It's for all of our safety. Frankly, I would like to be able to walk tomorrow. Wouldn't you?"

The blonde boy only nodded.

"Good. Now let's keep it down and nobody gets hurt,"

* * *

**A/N:**

**And thus concludes chapter two. I hope you enjoyed and maybe got a few more people to give it a chance. ^_^ The songs that are sung that have no information are Bad Boy by Cascada and Whiskey Lullaby by Brad Paisely. I do not own any of the songs. If you do not agree with my song choices, I'm sorry, but tough luck. **

**I did my best with trying to describe some of the dance routines, but it's difficult. I'm sorry if it gets confusing there. **

**Please, I would like to get one or two reviews before I post again. If I'm struck with inspiration, I may just update anyway, but reviews are always nice. Thanks for reading! **

**Until next chapter,**

**-Rinoa-san **


	3. Getting to know your room and classmates

**A/N: Here is Chapter three! I can't believe it took me so long to write! But then again, this one hasn't been as popular. I do have big plans for it, but I just have to be patient and let things work out for themselves. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Remember Reviews=love! XD**

* * *

_Chapter Three: Getting to Know Your Room and Classmates_

The next morning Rena woke up and stretched. Her ankle throbbed slightly, but it wasn't anything major. She yawned and shuffled out of her bed, grabbing some clothes as she headed for the bathroom. Lucky for her, it was free. She sighed as she washed her face, feeling the sweat and sleepiness from the previous evening get ebbed away. She changed into her old school uniform, a red pleated skirt and a white shirt with red trimming. Natsumi High had been fairly strict on their dress code for classes and she didn't mind wearing her uniform. In her opinion, it was pretty cute. She smiled as she stepped out of the bathroom, brushing her hair as she went.

"Took long enough," a male voice mumbled.

She looked up to see Sasuke. She fought back the scowl and simply rolled her eyes.

"Get over it," she replied calmly. "The world doesn't revolve around you."

He scoffed before passing her and shutting the bathroom door behind him. She scoffed and sat down on the couch. She winced every so often as her brush caught on some of the worse tangles, but after a while it ran through smoothly making her smile. She pulled her hair back into a half ponytail, clipping it with a small, red, butterfly clip. She stretched feeling her muscles scream in protest. Still, it meant that she had a great workout the day before. She smiled as she thought about the performance from the previous night. It had been well worth the effort.

"Morning, sunshine," Ryoma yawned sitting on the arm of the couch next to her.

"Good morning sleepy head," she smiled.

"You seem to be pretty chipper this morning," he teased.

"Yeah well, I had an awesome performance last night and I'm ready to start my first semester as representing Natsumi High," Rena beamed. "I have to be ready to face it with my best face forward!"

Ryoma chuckled at his sister's enthusiasm.

"Just take it easy, Ren. I don't want you to hurt your ankle anymore than it already is."

She scoffed.

"I'll be fine, Ryoma-kun. It's not a big deal."

He chuckled and ruffled her hair earning an annoyed whine from her. Still they both laughed. Sasuke left the bathroom and headed straight for his room, letting Ryoma get in to the bathroom. Rena sighed and fixed her hair, checking it with her compact. She packed her backpack and sat on the couch, texting Sakura while she waited. It wasn't long before she heard someone banging on the door. She jumped a little surprised, but quickly answered it. Standing in the door was a boy with blonde hair and cerulean eyes. He dressed in a white button up shirt with a dark blue coat on top with matching blue pants. To add personal style to his uniform, he added a black head band tied around his forehead. He nearly hit her in the process of going to bang on the door again. She barely managed to side step in time. His face mirrored hers showing a look of surprise.

"Uh…hey!" He greeted, rubbing the back of his next. "Is Sasuke-teme here?"

Rena smiled sweetly.

"Um, yeah. I think he's in his room," she replied politely. "Would you like to come in?"

"Thanks!" He beamed walking in as if he owned the place.

Discreetly, she rolled her eyes and shut the door behind him.

"Oh yeah! I'm sorry about last night. No hard feelings right?"

She turned to him confused.

"What are you talking about?"

He furrowed his brow.

"Um, I was kind of loud and woke you up and…"

Realization dawned on her as soon as he said he woke her up the day before. She covered her mouth with one hand in shock and embarrassment.

"Oh! I am _so_ sorry about that! See, I usually don't remember what happens when I'm that tired and get woken up. Whatever I did, I am so sorry and I'm sure it was nothing personal," she apologized.

He smiled and stretched out a hand.

"No worries. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. You're performance was amazing!"

She laughed and shook his hand.

"I'm Rena Kanari and thank you. We had a lot of fun performing it."

Naruto laughed a little before turning to Sasuke's bedroom door.

"Is teme even up yet?" He asked.

"I…" Rena began.

"Oi! Teme!" Naruto shouted as he banged on the bedroom door. "Get your lazy ass out of bed already! You're going to be late!"

Rena watched in surprise as the blonde continued to bang on the door until it opened.

"Shut up you dobe," Sasuke snarled. "Like you're one to talk about getting up on time."

"Hey! I was up before you and as a good _friend_ I came to make sure you were heading off to class."

Sasuke rolled his eyes in response then looked past to see Rena standing by the door.

"What are you looking at, princess?" he snarled.

She shot him a death glare.

"Excuse me? I thought we settled this already. My name is _not _princess. If anyone is royalty here, I'd have to say it's you. You really are a royal pain in the ass."

"Whatever princess. Just stay out of my way. I don't need your clumsiness interfering with my day."

"Clumsy?" Naruto and Rena yelled at the same time.

"Teme, did you _not_ pay attention to their performance yesterday? There was nothing clumsy about it!"

"Oh, you did _not_ just say I was clumsy you sorry excuse for a student," Rena snarled.

She reared her fist back, ready to punch him. She was done trying to use words. They didn't appear to have any effect. Her anger was boiling. He had practically insulted her skill as a dancer and she was not about to stand for it.

"Rena stop!" Ryoma yelled grabbing her wrist.

He pulled her backward so she fell against him. He let out a small sigh of relief. He could only imagine the kind of trouble that would have ensued if he hadn't come out of the bathroom just in time. His white shirt with dark blue trim was open, revealing his well toned stomach and his pants the trim of his shirt. He shook his head, his brown hair moving with his head.

"Let go of me, Ryoma," she growled struggling to get back on her feet.

He sighed and wrapped his other arm around her waist.

"Rena, stop. I'm not going to let you pick a fight. You know better. If you don't rest that ankle, you'll end up on crutches and I don't think that's something that you want, now is it?"

"So I'm supposed to sit here and let him insult me? How is _that_ fair?"

He sighed and shook his head again.

"Rena, you need to calm down and look at this rationally. What good would come of hitting him?"

"It would wipe that arrogant smirk off his face," she snapped.

"But you risk injuring yourself further."

"Hey Ryoma!" Naruto said waving. "I can take care of teme. No problem!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes in response. His button up shirt was like Ryoma's but closed and he wore matching pants. He stood near the door and slipped on his shoes.

"Hn. Let's go, Naruto, or you're going to miss breakfast."

"You're not getting off the hook that easily," Rena growled pulling against her brother's grasp.

"Rena…" he said warningly.

She heaved a sigh then finally shook him off.

"Fine, I won't touch the ass. I promise Nii-kun. Now you need to button up. Boys school or not, you still need to look presentable," she said turning to face him.

She focused on each button as she buttoned his shirt for him. It was all she could do to keep herself from really lashing out at her other roommate.

"Naruto, let's go," Sasuke said.

"Come on, teme. Let's wait for your roommates. It won't kill you," Naruto replied.

"Hn," was the Uchiha's only response.

Rena rolled her eyes, but said nothing. It didn't take her long to make sure her brother's shirt was buttoned and to pull on a pair of black flats before holding the door open. Ryoma slipped on his own black shoes as Naruto and Sasuke stepped out followed shortly by the Kanari twins. Rena locked the door and together they headed toward the cafeteria.

"So, Rena-chan, what do you think of Konoha so far?" Naruto asked, clasping his hands behind his head.

"Well, I don't know. I've barely seen any of the campus nor have I started class."

"Oh…right."

She giggled a little. Naruto, though he came off as loud and obnoxious, was also very entertaining. His obliviousness made her laugh. Ryoma shook his head next to her. She knew what he was thinking, but she also knew that he knew he had nothing to worry about. Her studies and her music always came first. Everything else rested on the back burner.

"Don't worry about it. Who knows? Maybe we have class together," she smiled.

It was much easier to be polite to Naruto than Sasuke. She was amazed the two were even friends. For someone that seemed to prefer being a loner, Sasuke sure knew how to pick some interesting friends.

They entered the cafeteria at the Ignis dorm and the rumors began. Rena did her best to tune them out as she gave her student I.D. to the woman working the front. Her card was swiped and she was waved through. She heard a few of the rumors, mainly those revolving around how lucky Sasuke was and even a few comments about how she looked. She did her best not to shoot her signature death glare. She was supposed to represent Natsumi High. She couldn't let herself sink below the standards of her school.

"Rena!" a chorus of girls screamed.

She looked up to see Ino, Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata waving at her excitedly. They had already had their trays and a table reserved. Rena couldn't help but smile as eagerly waved back.

"I'll catch you later Ryoma-kun!" She smiled at her brother before half walking and half limping toward her friends.

Sakura squealed as she hugged her friend.

"You are _so_ lucky!" She squealed.

"Totally! Who are the two hotties you walked in with?" Ino asked carefully eyeing the boys.

Rena giggled as she linked arms with her blonde friend.

"The one with black hair is a total ass. The blonde is a bit loud and obnoxious, but he seems okay."

"Oh, Ren, you take one look and think you know them! Who knows? I mean I heard you're rooming with another guy besides Ryoma. He could be the _one_," Tenten winked.

They all started laughing. Everyone knew that Rena had all but sworn off guys. Even if one was lucky enough to get past her defenses, they then had to pass each of the girls. If they were still alive by then, he would still have get past her brothers. Pretty much, for a guy to ever stand a chance with Rena, he would have to be patient, incredibly brave, and extremely lucky. The chances of that happening in a year were slim to none.

"Y-you should get some breakfast, Rena. We'll wait for you," Hinata piped up with a smile.

"Okay, okay. Come on, Ino, you're on cripple duty," Rena teased giving her friend's arm a squeeze.

"Fine by me. It gives a better view of what Konoha has to offer," Ino replied winking.

They laughed again. Rena glanced at the food options before finally settling on scrambled eggs and two pancakes with a large glass of milk. She rejoined her friends at the high table they had claimed. Ino launched into the gossip that she had already picked up on. She always had an ear to the ground and was usually pretty good about knowing what was going on. From what she could tell, the girls had made an excellent first impression with their performance and more than a handful of comments made about them. So far, none of the rumors were pressing or harmful so there was no need to step in to stop it.

"I-is your ankle alright, Rena?" Hinata asked.

"Hm? Yeah. It's only a little sore. Ryoma has stopped me from fighting, so I should be good as new within a week or so. I don't like putting off practice, but…"

"No buts!" Tenten interrupted holding up her chopsticks and pointing them at her friend. "You are going to stay _off_ that ankle young lady. What are we going to do without our number one? We just can't be the Natsumi Kunoichi without you. Health first, practice later. Got it?"

Rena sighed, but still managed a small smile for her friend.

"I know, I know. I promise I'll do my best to stay off my ankle."

"Good," the other brunette smiled before returning to her meal.

Rena giggled as she continued to eat. Each of the girls was dressed in their Natsumi High uniforms. Sakura's pink hair rested just above her shoulders and was styled carefully with a red ribbon to tie it back instead of a headband. Ino had her bangs free, but the rest of her hair was pulled back into its traditional high ponytail. Hinata had her dark blue hair pulled back into a French braid which was probably courtesy of Ino or Tenten. Finally, Tenten had her hair up in its traditional twin buns. Rena couldn't help but smile thinking of how great an opportunity they were presented. She was actually looking forward to the rest of the year.

After they finished eating, the girls compared their schedules. There shared only a few classes together, and only their gym classes lined up for all five schedules. Rena sighed. She was taking on English, Chemistry, World History, Algebra, Gym, Choir, and Art. She shared English with Tenten, History with Ino, Algebra with Sakura, and finally Art with Hinata. To be honest, Rena was disappointed more of their classes didn't line up, but she knew she simply had to put on a brave face. She wasn't there to socialize with her friends all the time.

After breakfast, the girls parted ways. Tenten walked with Rena as they headed toward English. They talked and laughed, but they also kept the pace relatively slow. Tenten took injuries very seriously which made sense. She had more than her fair share of injuries in the past and knew more than anyone the dangers of pushing the limits too far. In fact, Tenten could often be seen with a pair of fingerless gloves and an ankle brace, though most didn't notice the later. She was talented even with all of her previous injuries. She just had to work a little harder to build up her stamina.

They continued to chat as they sat down in their English class, waiting for it to begin. Tenten was explaining the latest technique she had learned about for dance that helps strengthens ligaments and stretches that would lower the risk of tears and sprains. Rena could only smile and nod as she listened.

"Hello beautiful maidens. Might I ask your names?

The girls looked up to see a boy with bowl-cut, black hair and large eye brows. His uniform matched the other male students, a white button up shirt with blue trim and matching pants. The only difference was around his ankles were what looked like leg-warmers from the 80's. The girls fought back the giggle. It was a very sorry excuse for a fashion statement.

"I'm Tenten and this is my friend Rena. You are?" Tenten replied with a smile.

"I am Rock Lee!" He said giving them a thumbs up and smiling.

They giggled again. Yes, attending an all boys' school was going to be _very_ interesting.

"Lee? Hey wait, I think I've heard that name before," Rena said, pausing to think. "Do you know Ryoma Kanari by chance?"

"Why yes I do! He is one of my very good friends."

Rena smiled at his enthusiasm.

"He's my brother. I knew I had heard the name before."

"It is always so heartwarming when friends speak fondly of each other," Lee replied tearing up before regaining control of himself. "I would be honored to escort you ladies to you next class if I may be so permitted."

Tenten blushed slightly, a little taken aback by the request. She had known that going to an all boys' school would lead to them getting a lot of attention, but she had no idea it would be so soon.

"Well, what class do you have next, Lee?" Rena asked glancing at her friend.

"I will be attending World History," he said proudly.

"Well, I have Chemistry, but you have history, don't you Tenten?" Rena said looking at her friend.

The brunette girl blushed again and nodded.

"Yeah, World History is next for me."

"I would be honored if I could escort a beautiful girl like you to class," Lee announced with a slight bow.

"Go ahead, Ten," Ren whispered nudging her friend with a small smile creeping on her face.

"Uh, right. Sure. Thanks, Lee," she replied sheepishly.

"Until the end of class," he said then took his seat a few away from them.

Rena turned her all knowing eyes on her still blushing friend. Tenten didn't get embarrassed easily, but then again, she had never gotten so much attention from a guy before. The Kanari girl smiled making her friend turn away even more embarrassed.

"Oh relax Ten! He's just being friendly. Ryoma told me about him. He's pretty enthusiastic and an athlete. You never know right?"

"I guess," she murmured.

"So cheer up! The red in your cheeks will give you away if you're not careful. Besides, you _know_ we're going to want all the details at lunch," Rena winked.

The girls laughed then turned toward the front of the classroom as the teacher called the room to order. They were given a reading list and the girls were formally introduced to the class. It seemed to fly by as they completed an in class essay and went around the room introducing themselves. All in all, it wasn't very productive, but very fun. Rena bid farewell to Tenten and left her to walk with Lee.

Rena couldn't help but giggle to herself as she walked to Chemistry. She didn't know if anything would come of Lee and Tenten, but it was always possible. Besides which, they were there to represent their school. It would defiantly look good if they were to spend time with the other students and not just among themselves.

When she reached her Chemistry room, she found each of the tables had a book with a name on it. She quietly looked over the books until she found her own name. She didn't bother looking to see who was going to be at her table (each table sat four people) since she was the first one there. She pulled out a notebook and began to simply doodle. She wasn't aiming for anything in specific, but she found herself drawn to the final pose from "Bad Boy" that they had performed.

"What are you doing?" someone asked setting their stuff next to her.

She jolted upright. She had been so enraptured by her work, she hadn't even noticed that the class was slowly filling up and the seat beside her was occupied. She looked over and barely stopped herself from glaring. Sitting next to her was none other than Sasuke Uchiha, her jerk of a roommate. She stiffened as he sat down. She should have checked the names before she got comfortable. Then she would have at least been prepared.

"Nothing, just doodling," she snipped.

"I meant, what are you doing in Chemistry. This is for _advance_ students," he sneered.

"For your information, _sir_, I was one of the top students at Natsumi High. I _lived _in their advanced program."

"Advance what? Cooking?"

She glared at him.

"I was actually the champion cook from middle school at Natsumi, but I find Science much more interesting. Especially Chemistry. Do your research before you start throwing insults. Natsumi High is very well renowned."

"Hn," was his only response before turning to his own work.

"Well if it isn't Uchiha!" A boy with short brunette hair and red triangles on his cheeks. "Didn't think I'd see you in this class year. Who's the chick?"

He turned his attention on to Rena, who fixed him with a glare. She was not one that would happily sit back and let boys call her a "chick." He studied her for a moment.

"Hey I know you! You're Ryoma's and Chris' sister aren't you? Rena right?"

"Yup, that's me. Just another one of the Kanari clan," she smiled.

"I'm Kiba," he introduced sitting across from Sasuke. "You're brother's are pretty cool. They all older?"

"Well, Ryoma's not older by much. He's my twin after all."

He studied her another moment.

"Now that you mention it, you two do look an awful lot alike."

She laughed trying to take it all in good humor. It was going to be a bit more difficult than she had anticipated adjusting to the new school.

"Oi! Teme! They put me in your class?"

Rena looked at the door to see Naruto bounding over. She couldn't help but smile. He may be loud and obnoxious, but he did keep things lively. She watched as both Kiba and Sasuke rolled their eyes. They had obviously been expecting a quiet class. So much for that hope.

"Naruto, keep it down," Sasuke said as the blonde sat across from Rena.

"Yeah, yeah. Oh hey Rena-chan! I didn't know you were in this class!" Naruto said looking at her.

"Nice to see you again, Naruto. My transcripts spoke much louder than I expected so they put me in here. I'm really looking forward to a fun class," she smiled.

"Man, I just hope I can pass this time," he complained leaning back in his chair.

She giggled in response then turned toward the front where the teacher called the class to order. They received the bad news that their current seats were to be the assigned seat until at least the next semester. Rena sighed. She reminded herself that she just had to stay strong. There was nothing that could be thrown at her that she couldn't handle. After all, she had her four best friends and her brothers with her every step of the way.

Class passed rather quickly. From there she went to History where she met up with Ino and ran into another one of her brother's friends, Neji. After a brief conversation (since he didn't seem all too inclined to start a conversation in the first place), she realized that he was Hinata's cousin. This knowledge only led Ino to pout especially when he refused to continue the conversation. After that, she met up with Sakura in Algebra where she ran into Naruto and another one of her brother's friends, Shino. Conversation didn't carry long with Shino, but Naruto continued to talk up a storm. After that, Naruto invited the girls to spend lunch with him, Sasuke, Ryoma, Kiba, Neji, Shino, Lee, a few other guys. They happily agreed. Lunch was lively as Naruto kept the conversation flowing. Rena couldn't help but smile. Other than the tension between her and Sasuke, the year seemed to be off to a good start.

After lunch, they parted ways with a smile and the girls headed straight for gym. Since it was only the first day, they weren't really required to do much. They were given lockers and uniforms in the locker room then they were handed basketballs in the gym and told to stay active for the rest of the period. Rena sighed as she stood off to the side, simply dribbling. She couldn't really do much else. Still, it was an all boys' school. She couldn't just sit out.

"Cheer up, Ren!" Tenten smiled spinning the basketball on her finger. "It could be worse."

Rena rolled her eyes.

"Please enlighten me, Ten. Of all the classes I have to be in with him, it has to be gym. One of the most competitive classes period. We're changing in an unused classroom and if we're lucky get in _after_ the boys have all gone. Even then we're better off in the classroom. I just…ugh. I didn't expect this I guess."

"S-Sasuke is your roommate, Rena. Perhaps it would be okay if you two started to get along better," Hinata spoke up dribbling the ball. "We're supposed to be setting the example."

"I know, but he's just so…_frustrating_!" Rena replied tossing the ball from hand to hand. "I mean, Mr. Thinks-he-knows-everything hasn't exactly made it easy for me to try and get along with him. I don't want to be here to compete."

"A little friendly competition never hurt anyone," Sakura shrugged. "Besides, you're plenty competitive. All you have to do is prove that you're the bigger person. He'll get the drift soon enough."

"We're the best Natsumi High has to offer. We have to stand proud of the title! We are the Natsumi Kunoichi! Sing it loud and proud!" Ino cheered.

Rena laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. She knew they were right. She would have to at least tolerate Sasuke if they were going to make the exchange work. They were there to represent their school. It was not a time for personal tiffs. She couldn't stop laughing as Ino dragged her to a nearby basket and shot the ball. They watched as it soared before bouncing off the back board and getting in the basket.

"Oh yeah! I still got it," Ino smirked. "Come on, Ren. Let's see what the cripple can do."

Rena shook her head.

"Alright, but you have to run after the ball. If I stress this ankle too much, Ryoma-kun will hit the roof," she consented.

"Deal," Ino agreed. "Now take the shot!"

Rena nodded. She dribbled the ball a few more times before taking aim and shooting. The ball flew and went straight threw the basket.

"Nothing but net," Sakura smiled.

"Good job, Sasuke!"

The girls turned to see Sasuke running a few layups, before practicing some three-pointers. Rena felt the frown start tugging at the edge of her lips. He was getting praise for the basics and since no one else was putting forth that much effort, all eyes were on him. He didn't seem like the kind that would be an attention hog, but then again, he also seemed like the kind that would rule the school especially if it were co-ed.

"Show off," Rena murmured.

"Hey girls, what do you say we step it up a little?" Tenten smiled.

"What about Ren's ankle?" Hinata asked, quietly holding her ball steady.

"Easy. We can stand still, or work formations around the injury," Ino replied running to grab another ball for Rena and herself.

She hurled the ball at her friend who caught it with ease, rolling it from one arm down the other before holding it in her hands. She felt her smile coming back. She did admit she did have a bit of a competitive streak in her. However, she was doing this more out of fun and messing with the sorry excuse she had for a roommate.

"Let's hit it girls," Sakura smirked.

Rena nodded.

"On my count. One, two, one two three."

The balls came down together. Rena did a quiet eight count. The dribble started basic, then they started swamping hands. After that the added double dribbles. Ino's smirk became more pronounced as they started gathering attention.

"Five, six, seven, and pass," Rena instructed, tossing her ball to her right toward Sakura.

Each of the girls passed their ball onto the next girl, Rena ending up with Ino's. The ended it with another pound with the ball together. Rena felt her smile broaden. The brought the ball up and faked dropping it twice, ending with a spin and dribbling in time with one another. She gave a nod and the girls all circled up. With another eight count they started a new routine. They dribble twice then passed the ball across the circle. They did this a few times then with one final nod, Rena took the shot, followed by Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten. Each ball made it in and landed shortly after each other.

"Whoa, those girls are good," someone whispered.

"Who would have guessed?"

"Hot and good at sports?"

"Man, whoever gets to room with them is lucky."

"Do you think someone's banging them?"

"Wish I was."

"Damn, looks like this is really going to be a fun year."

The rumors flew like wild fire. Rena could help but smile. She was going to prove that the schools could combine and that they could be treated as equal even if it took everything she had. She looked over at the clock to check the time only to catch Sasuke's eye. He hadn't crowded around the girls like many of the other boys had. He had stayed near Kiba, Neji, and another boy that she didn't recognize. He watched her almost as if sizing her up, though his eyes were bored. She frowned ever so slightly. She took it as a challenge and if he wanted a challenge, then she sure as hell wasn't going to back down.

"Bring it on, Sasuke," she thought. "We'll see who's going to break first. It's on."


	4. How to Get Along w jerk ur rooming with

__**A/N: Hello my dear readers! I am terribly sorry that I've been running so far behind updates. Now that my semester is over, I should be able to get more writing done this summer. So, yup :) I hope this doesn't disappoint! I haven't read over it as closely as I should so there may be typos. So, I'm sorry, but please enjoy **

* * *

_Chapter Four: How to Get Along with the Jerk You're Rooming with:_

The first day of school had been a hit and much easier than expected, much to Rena's surprise. It was true that she and the girls had gotten a lot of attention, but other than that, it was just like a normal school day. By the end of the day, she was still tired, but settled herself at her desk and began her homework. She hardly even noticed when Sasuke returned…that is until the door slammed shut and Naruto's voice sailed through the air.

"Man!" the blonde boy cried. "What a day! I didn't think it would ever end."

Rena tried not to sigh in frustration. That was something she really did miss about Natsumi. Quiet study hours.

"Don't you have something better to do?" Sasuke said, annoyance coating his tone.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like go hang out in your own dorm."

"Come on Sasuke! We're supposed to play a game of soccer later and you're supposed to help with my chem!"

Rena felt her eye twitch in annoyance. Were they always this loud? Would this be what she could expect every day after classes were done? If that were the case, it was going to be a long and miserable year. At the very least, she wasn't going to sit around and simply put up with it. If she was forced to live with Sasuke, she was going to set down a few rules. She was _not_ about to lose her 4.0 average because he didn't care enough about his roommates to shut up so that some homework could be completed. She pushed away from her desk and walked out to the main room.

"Hey, would you guys..." she began.

"Hey Rena-chan!" Naruto cried smiling at her. "What'd ya think of your first day at Konoha? The school work is crummy, but…"

"Calm down, Naruto," she said holding up her hand. "Konoha is a pretty interesting school. It was a lot easier than I thought to make the transition. I _could_, though, do without the _noise_."

"What noise?"

"The noise you're making and have been since you guys got to the dorm."

The blonde boy stared at her completely speechless. She could tell by the look in his eyes something about the situation wasn't quite clicking in his head. She sighed as she tucked some of the hair behind her ear. It was going to be a long year.

"Look, I understand you guys are friends and want to hang out…"

"Because you're such an expert, right princess?" Sasuke sneered.

"_However_," she continued ignoring him "it's hard to study with all the noise. I'm here for my studies. I would really appreciate it if you could keep it quiet here just for a few hours a day. Think of it like study hours. That way it gives me, Ryoma, and even Sasuke a chance to get some work done. Sound reasonable?"

Naruto stared at her for another moment as her words slowly sunk in. She kept repeating to herself that she needed to be patient and everything would work out in the end. It was hard, but she could do it. She was one of the Natsumi Kunoichi.

"You mean…you actually spend time _every day_ studying?" he finally said dumbfounded.

"Yes of course," she smiled. "I didn't become one of the top students at Natsumi High by just sitting around and doing nothing."

"Humph. What makes _you_ so special? It was just an all-girl school," Sasuke said.

She glared at him in response. She reminded herself that she needed to remain calm. She had to for the sake of her school. She would _prove_ she was the bigger person.

"I was _the_ top student. My GPA has never dropped below a 4.0. I competed in several different competitions and was a member of several clubs to give me a well rounded schedule. I helped found the Natsumi Kunoichi. My teachers recommended me as a tutor and I often volunteered with the school's tutor program. Just because it was an all-girls school does _not_ mean it doesn't have the same if not higher standers than Konoha High. You should be…" she began.

"Wow really? You're that great of a tutor?" Naruto interrupted grabbing her shoulders.

She blinked at him a bit surprised. Out of her entire little speech, the only thing he had gotten out of it was that she was a "great" tutor? What went through his mind? She had a feeling that was one mystery that would never be solved.

"Um…yeah," she said slowly. "You know, at least that's what my students say."

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered as a grin broke out across Naruto's face.

"That's so awesome! That means you can be my new tutor right?" the blonde cried.

She stared at him in complete shock. Was he asking her to tutor him? Where did that come from? It seemed so out of the blue. Was he serious? Or was this just something to distract her so that he and Sasuke could hang out and goof of more? She blinked slowly staring at Naurto. His grin never faltered. He kept looking at her expectantly. She kept waiting for him to say he was kidding or pull the rug out from under her or something. When he didn't, she figured she should probably reply.

"Sure, if you want. I can tutor you, Naruto."

"Sweet!" he cheered throwing a fist in the air with a jump of excitement.

"Be warned," she said holding up a finger "I make all of my students _work_. I make sure they pass. So are you willing to work?"

"You're wasting your time," Sasuke said sitting on the couch, crossing his arms. "Naruto is about as block-headed as you can get. I doubt someone like _you_ could get through his thick skull."

"Hey, I'm not that bad teme," Naruto pouted.

Rena looked over at the black-haired boy and glared. Could he really be so mean to his best friend? Besides, no one was so boneheaded that he or she could not learn. Everyone could be taught. It just took a little extra work sometimes. She had never had a student fail on her before and she sure as hell wasn't going to back down now. The fact that Sasuke didn't think she could do it was just an added bonus. She was going to rise to the occasion and wipe his arrogant little nose in it.

"Everyone can learn if he or she has a teacher willing to work for it," she said simply. "I have a long standing record of success cases. I _will_ add another student to that list by the name of Naruto."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Naruto beamed.

"A little arrogant, aren't you Princess?"

"Not at all, especially when I'm standing in the same room with the _King _of Arrogance. I'm just confident. There's a big difference," she replied smoothly.

Sasuke scowled at her while Naruto laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"You're something else, Rena. But I think you're going to fit in juuust fine here," the blonde smiled.

She giggled and smiled at him.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll do just fine. That's why I'm here after all."

Sasuke let out a short "hn," but said nothing more. Rena fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him. She had to be the bigger person…no matter _how_ tempting it was to act otherwise. Instead, she turned to Naruto, ready to hash out a tutoring schedule. It really did feel good to quickly be able to get into the swing of things at a new school.

Over the next few days, things began to fall into routine. Rena would wake up and go to breakfast with Ryoma, Naruto, and a grumpy Sasuke. There she would eat with the girls and/or some of the friends they were beginning to make. After that, they would go through the school day. Once school was over, Rena would sit and study with Naruto, helping him with his homework. The girls would have a small get together after their homework was done to discuss their day, compare school notes, gossip, and have dinner. By the end of the day, Rena was always ready to just collapse on her bed and sleep until it was time to do it all over again. Although the routine was becoming more or less stable, Sauske still didn't warm up to Rena. He was still cold, arrogant, and rude to her. Ryoma told his sister to ignore him, but it was hard. After all, Rena _did _share two classes with him _and_ lived with him. Sasuke Uchiha was practically impossible to ignore. He was very much like a bug bite. You know you're not supposed to scratch them or they swell and stick around longer. Still, it was so tempting to itch and sometimes you just have to give into temptation. She knew things would have been better off if she would just stay clear of Sauske and not speak with him, but sometimes she couldn't help it.

In fact, it was the beginning of the second week when she found herself forced to answer the "itch" called Sasuke. Naruto was in the dorm for his afternoon tutoring session. He and Rena sat in the main room with books and papers spread out yet neatly organized. While Naruto worked fairly diligently when she cracked the whip, he still strayed off topic now and again.

"Hey Rena-chan, why are you rooming with Ryoma and Sasuke instead of the girls?" the blonde asked looking up from the chemical equation he was suppose to balance.

"Well, the girls had their rooms all situated with who was rooming with whom. I'm the only one with siblings attending here so I had a long discussion with the headmaster. I presented the case that it made sense just to put me in with one of my brothers and, after much deliberation, he consented to let me stay with Ryoma," she replied shrugging. "It was a long, grueling battle, but in the end I won."

"That's pretty impressive. That old perv is really stubborn. He usually never changes his mind on anything. I can't believe you got through to him," he replied.

"Hn. I'm sure she had to try _real_ hard," Sasuke mumbled as he stood from the opposite couch to head to his room.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Rena demanded. "The debate team kept trying to recruit me at Natsumi High. My skills should speak for themselves."

"You're a girl," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "All you have to do is give the Headmaster a show and you'll get away with anything. Not impressive."

Rena jumped to her feet sending papers scattering everywhere. Her hands were balled into fists, snapping her wooden pencil. She was shaking with pent up fury. Who the hell did he think he was? Did he really think she would sit there and let him accuse her of giving the head master a strip show or worse? Like hell she would!

"You want to repeat that to my face?" she demanded.

Sasuke slowly turned toward her, his face showing only a bored expression. He wasn't even the least bit worried about her temper. She clenched her fists tighter. One more wrong move and she would slug him. She didn't care if she would regret it later or that she was suppose to be the bigger person or that she promised Ryoma she wouldn't start a fight. At that moment, none of that mattered. Sasuke was going to get _exactly_ what he deserved.

"You're not impressive just because you can get your way using your passable looks," he said.

_Bam_! Her fist collided with his cheek with a resounding smack. He stared at her completely shocked. Her breathing was heavy as she reared her fist back and hit him again. She was passed pissed. She was _livid_. How _dare_ he stand there and insult her like that. Did he really think she would stand there and tolerate it? He had _no_ idea who he was messing with. She was a Kanari and Kanari's stood up for themselves. They did _not_ let no good, snot-nosed, arrogant bastards rip them apart. They kicked some major ass. She raised her fist again.

"Rena!"

Ryoma rushed forward and grabbed her wrist with one hand and her waist with the other. He was lucky that he was a little stronger than his sister. It was probably about the only thing that kept her from breaking free and slugging the Uchiha again. She struggled against his grip. She could feel the tears sting her eyes. She was furious and hurt. She just wanted a little pay back. It was justice in her mind. Just a little payback for all the hurt he was delivering. Enough was enough.

"Rena calm down," Ryoma tried soothing her. "He's not worth it."

"I don't care!" she screamed. "I won't let him get away with this. He deserves everything he gets!"

"Calm down. What happened?" he asked softly.

"He said I did a strip tease for the headmaster."

Her voice cracked slightly, coated with tears. She hated the fact that the tears were threatening to spill over. She didn't want to give Sasuke that kind of satisfaction. She had to stay strong. All she wanted to do was hit him a few more times…just to make things fair. Was that really so wrong?

Ryoma tightened his grip on her for a moment. Personally, he wanted to hit Sasuke too. He had always stood up for his little sister and hated it when someone picked on her. Still, he knew what the right choice was. He had to drag her away, calm her down, and not get into a fight. He didn't want to be the bigger person, but he had to be.

"Let's get out of her Ren," he whispered.

"No! I want to…" she growled.

"I know. Believe me, I know, but we can't start a fight. Let's just go for a walk. We can get away and relax."

He pulled her close and turned her away from Sasuke. The first thing to do was to break eye contact. The next step was to pull her away from him completely. He pulled her toward the door. If they didn't leave soon he was bound to do something he would regret.

"What were you thinking teme?" Naruto shouted. "Rena-chan would never do something like that! You should apologize."

"Hn," the Uchiha replied. "I don't have to do anything."

Ryoma stopped, his hand on the door handle.

"Sasuke, I suggest watching your mouth. One more word against my sister and I will beat the hell out of you. Even if you beat me, any of our brothers will rip you to shreds. I highly suggest staying out of our way for the next few days. I can't guarantee I can hold her back if you do something so stupid again."

With that said, the Kanari siblings left. Ryoma walked his sister out of the dorms and out around the grounds. It felt like they had been walking for hours. After a while, Ryoma was able to let Rena walk more freely. He didn't have to hang onto her to keep her from going back and beating Sasuke to a pulp. As she got calmer, he in turn grew calmer which kept him from going back and beating Sasuke himself. For the most part, they walked in silence. There wasn't much to say. Sasuke had crossed a line that left them both upset. There was nothing more to it. What they needed to do was take some time to calm down. Rushing in, blindly throwing punches, wouldn't help anyone. At best they would end up with detention or suspension. That would end with wasting all the hard work Rena and the girls had put into coming to Konoha High in the first place. It wasn't worth throwing everything away over just one guy who stepped over the line.

"As soon as the time comes," Rena said as they headed back toward the dorm as the sun began to set "I'm talking to the headmaster. I can't live with him…not for the rest of the year. If I had a choice, I wouldn't live with him for another moment, but I know I don't have much of a choice right now. I promise I'll try not to start another fight, but…"

"Don't worry about it," Ryoma interrupted her. "I know why you're upset. We just have to try and take it easy."

She sighed. It would be a long next few weeks. Still, she needed to be patient and bid her time. If she could prove to be the bigger person, it would help her case in the end. She couldn't sacrifice everything she had worked so hard for over one guy. No guy was ever worth such a risk.

By the time they returned to the dorm, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

_Good riddance_, Rena thought to herself.

She had no interest in seeing the Uchiha boy. Not then, not ever again. She would be polite in class, but beyond that, she would refuse to interact with him in any way, shape, or form. If she did, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to control herself. She took a shower to help calm herself further before changing into her pajamas. She curled up on her bed and doodled one of her notebooks, focusing on figuring out new ideas for the Natsumi Konouchi. In the end, she fell asleep with her notebook settled in her lap.

Over the next few days, Rena managed to avoid Sasuke for the most part. She avoided small talk with him in classes and rarely saw him in the dorm. Her temper had basically fizzled out and she was calm. Still, she wanted nothing to do with the Uchiha. There was no need to try and spark her temper again.

When she entered Chemistry Monday morning, she was immediately on edge. Each of the tables was set up with Bunsen burner. As much as she loved science and experiments, she hated working with fire. Her stomach churned, but she blamed in on the lingering gas from the previous period.

_Just one period. I just have to make it through one period _she repeated to herself.

She took her seat and waited for class to begin. As had come usual, Sasuke sat next to her, but didn't acknowledge her existence. Naruto talked with her as did Kiba when they came in waiting for class to start. The teacher explained that they would be distilling water. The lab would require the students to think creatively in order to get the best result. Nothing out of the ordinary or incredibly difficult. The would just have to figure out how to keep the container elevated and help catch the maximum amount of salt and distilled water possible. She could do that…just so long as someone else handled the burner.

"Man this is so boring!" Naruto complained as he poked at the beaker.

"Zip it Naruto," Kiba snapped. "You're not helping."

"But it's boring! I mean come on! That stupid fire isn't even that big!"

"It's big enough," Rena said with a slight snap. "It doesn't take a lot of fire to cause a lot of damage."

"It almost sounds like you're talking from experience, Ren," Kiba said raising an eyebrow. "Got some deep, dark secret we don't know about?"

She shook her head.

"Household fires can start from a spark. That's basic knowledge, Kiba."

"Hey Sasuke, let me try!" Naruto whined reaching for the burner.

"Leave it alone, Naruto. You're going to burn yourself," the Uchiha replied.

"No I won't. Now come _on_! You're the only one that's worked with it. It's my turn."

The blonde boy reached for the burner. Sasuke tried to stop him, but it was too late. Naruto pulled back with a cry of pain, his hand turning red from where he had gripped the not safe part the burner. The jerking motion caused the burner to teeter for a moment before falling into the fake sink area in the middle of the table. Fire erupted from the area as it caught the miscellaneous junk that had been tossed in there over several periods and began to spread.

"Everyone out of the room! Hit the fire alarm!" the teacher barked as the frenzy settled over the classroom.

Everyone ran from the room, Sasuke dragging Naruto behind him, cursing all the way. The gathered outside and waited for the traditional roll call.

"Naruto you idiot!" Kiba said hitting the blonde on the head. "We told you not to touch it!"

"It's not like I _meant_ to start a fire," the blonde yelled back. "It was an accident."

"Hn. Just be lucky that we got out before it got worse."

"Sasuke! Naruto! Kiba!"

They turned to see Ryoma running toward them. Concern was etched across his face. Kiba waved at him.

"Hey, Ryoma. Where's your class?" he asked.

"I heard the fire started in Chemistry. Where's Ren?" Ryoma asked.

"I don't know. She must be around here somewhere."

"You mean you don't know?"

"It was a fire. We had to get it out. It's not like we were stopping to see where everyone was," Sasuke replied.

"We have to find her. I need to know she made it out," Ryoma said, panic edging his tone.

"What's the big deal?" Sasuke said.

"Besides the fact that there's a fire?" Kiba commented rolling his eyes.

"Rena's _afraid_ of fire. How close was she to it? If she was really close, there's a chance that she's still in there."

"What do you mean 'afraid of fire'?" Kiba asked confused.

"I mean paralyzing, frozen to the spot fear. We had some bad experiences with fire when we were little. She…she didn't come to terms with it as well as I did. We need to find her."

Sasuke remained quiet for a moment as Ryoma began directing the others on the search. The next moment, he was running back toward the school. He ignored the call of his friends for him to stop and the number of teachers threatening him. Instead, he blew through the doors and ran back toward the chemistry room.

The smoke was thick, making it difficult to breathe. He broke the glass in the door so that he could reach in and open it. He tucked his nose into his shirt to help cut out some of the smoke. His eyes watered from the sting, but he pushed forward. He could hardly believe his eyes. Rena was still sitting at their table, pencil in hand, ready to take notes. Her eyes were locked on the fire. He silently cursed her. _She_ was supposed to be a _top_ student? She definitely didn't act like it at times. He pushed forward and grabbed her arm.

"Come on you idiot. What are you sitting here for?" he growled.

She didn't respond. He tugged on her arm.

"Come on," he repeated. "Rena let's go!"

She still didn't respond.

"Rena!"

She blinked a few times before coughing, dropping her pencil in the process. She looked back toward Sasuke, surprise etched across her face.

"Sasuke? What?"

"We need to get out of here. Let's go."

He tugged her after him. To his aggravation, she collapsed. He turned to yell at her, but stopped short. Never in his life had he seen someone more petrified. She was trembling from the fear. Her eyes were watery and she coughed from the smoke. Her free hand was grasping her ankle. He had almost forgotten about her sprain. She kept repeating that she can't, and he could tell that she was trying hard not to cry.

"Rena come on. We have to get out of here," he repeated.

She looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. He let out a low sigh. Time was against them. A fire in a chem lab could result in an explosion if the right chemicals got hit. They needed to get out. He bent down and picked her up.

"Just keep your head down," he said pulling her close.

With that, he took off back out of the building. The moment they were outside, they were pulled to the safe area by Ryoma, Naruto, and Kiba. Teachers came running over asking a million questions while lecturing between praising of God.

"You guys okay?" Ryoma asked, fighting to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Yeah," Sasuke coughed.

"Ren?"

Slowly, she raised her head from Sasuke's chest and looked over at her twin brother. Her eyes were watering. She reached slowly for him.

"Ryoma…" she whimpered.

Sasuke willingly handed her over to her brother. Ryoma proceeded to whisper soothing phrases as he tried to calm her down. Within the next few minutes, she was loaded into the back of an ambulance with Sasuke and Ryoma. The paramedics insisted that the Uchiha still be checked out while Ryoma was allowed to come as family. The fire was still being put out as they ambulance pulled away.

It was well over an hour before Sasuke managed to find Ryoma again. The Uchiha had been given a once over and given a clean bill of health along with a lecture. It was to be expected, but the lecture was certainly something that he could have lived without.

He found Ryoma sitting next to Rena's bed. She was asleep, hooked up to various machines including oxygen. Was she really that bad off? Ryoma turned to face the other boy when he walked in.

"Hey Sasuke," he said standing up. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Nothing a shower can't take care of."

He nodded.

"Look, Sasuke, I know you and Ren got off on the wrong foot and things have been rocky in the dorm…"

"Forget about it."

"No, Sasuke you saved my baby sister's life. I really owe you one. Thank you."

Sasuke averted his gaze.

"Don't mention it."

There was a slightly awkward pause the passed between them.

"They said they aren't sure when she'll wake up, but she should make a full recovery. She managed to walk away with only a few burns and minor smoke damage," Ryoma explained looking back at his sister.

"She got lucky."

"Yeah…she did. Hey would you mind just sitting with her?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Why would he want to sit with the girl who had been trying to make his life a living hell?

"I was going to run down to the cafeteria and get some coffee. I probably won't go home until she wakes up. But I don't want her to wake up alone. So…"

While he wasn't always a good guy and he sometimes came off as a cold, inconsiderate ass, he _was_ still forced to live with them. Ryoma wasn't a bad guy at all. The least Sasuke could do was sit with his sister while he got some much needed caffinee.

"Yeah, I can sit with her. Just don't take too long."

Ryoma smiled.

"Thanks. And trust me, I won't."

With that, Ryoma left. Sasuke walked around the room a little uncomfortable. What was he supposed to do? She wasn't conscious so what was there to watch? He could always leave. No one would know. Well, Ryoma would know. Ryoma had always been such a good guy and a decent friend. Things had been rocky ever since Rena had punched him. Still, he really did want to smooth things over. Not his favorite part of life, but one that was necessary at times.

"Ryoma?" Rena croaked.

Sasuke turned and walked toward her bed. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked around. She sounded awful.

"He went down to the caf. He should be back soon," he replied.

She turned toward him, confusion across her face.

"Sasuke? What are you…where am…what's going on?"

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"You don't remember the fire?"

"Fire?"

"The fire in chemistry."

She looked at him confused. Then realization seemed to hit her. She bolted up right, her heart monitor going crazy.

"Oh my God the fire! Where's Naruto? A-and Kiba? Oh my God, Ryoma! He'll be worried sick! I…I…I gotta…gotta…"

"Calm down! Take it easy, geez!" Sasuke said, pushing her down. "Just relax."

"But…but…" she began.

"Calm down, Princess. Everyone got out just fine. You're the only that had to get pulled out. Ryoma…"

"Ryoma, oh God. He'll be worried sick! He must be…"

She tried to sit up again, but Sasuke kept his hand firmly on her shoulder as he took a seat in Ryoma's chair.

"He's fine. He just went for some coffee. Geez you worry a lot!"

"He's okay?"

"Yes! Yes, everyone's okay! Happy now?"

She bit her lip, but stopped trying to sit up. Her heart rate slowly began to decrease. He let out a soft sigh. She really was going to be the death of him. How did Ryoma put up with her?

"Sasuke, what happened…exactly?" she asked softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what happened? At school. I remember the fire starting then…everything gets kind of fuzzy."

He studied her for a moment. Was she serious? Did she really have no memory of the event? How he saved her life? If she didn't…then he could certainly have some fun. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Naruto was being an idiot and knocked over the Bunsen Burner which caused the fire. We evacuated the building. Ryoma came looking for you, but no one had seen you. You ended up having to be pulled from the building."

"By who?"

He smirked.

"Me."

"You?"

"Me."

"Really?"

"Really."

She sighed and looked toward the ceiling. She put her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. Sasuke frowned. Well, this certainly wasn't nearly as fun as he thought it was going to be. He was expecting her to be thanking him or say how she was indebted to him, but that never came. For a long time, she was quiet making it feel awkward again.

"I can't believe I froze up again," she said softly.

Another silence passed. What was she talking about "again?" Sasuke had a feeling there was a large piece of the puzzle he was missing.

"I'm sorry," she said turning to him again. "You risked your life to save me and I'm really grateful. I know we didn't get started off on the right foot. Is there any way we could…well, we could just start over? Make a fresh start starting today?"

He stared at her for a long time, half expecting her to change her mind. When she didn't, he decided it was his turn to be the bigger person. She and Ryoma were both making an effort. He could at least respect that.

"Sure," he finally answered before extending his hand. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. I'm the guy that saved your life. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She smiled and shook his hand.

"I'm Rena Kanari, one of the transfer students from Natsumi High. It's nice to meet you, Sasuke. Thank you for saving my life."

She couldn't help but laugh a little. They were really making a fresh start. Who would have thought it would have even been possible. Then again, that was part of the exchange experience right? The ability to have new experiences, make new friends, and doing one's very best.

"Rena you're awake!" Ryoma said from the door.

"Ryoma-kun!" she squealed.

She sat up and tried to get out bed. Unfortunately, all the various equipment prevented her from getting far. She fell from the bed right on top of Sasuke.

"Geez! What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you understand that when you're in the hospital you're on bed rest?" Sasuke yelled as he tried to get her back into bed.

_I think that this is going to be a very interesting year. Who would have thought those two would ever learned to get along?_ Ryoma thought with a smile.


End file.
